Port Qasim (Urdu: بندر گاہ محمد بن قاسم Bandara gāh muham'mad ban qāsim), also known as Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, is a seaport in Karachi, Pakistan, on the coastline of the Arabian Sea. It is Pakistan's second busiest port, handling about 35% of the nation's cargo (17 million metric tons per annum). Imports include coal for steel mills.

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Location

Port Qasim is adjacent to Bin Qasim town, in the southern part of Malir district, Karachi division, in Sindh. It is located in an old channel of the Indus River at a distance of 35 kilometers east of Karachi city center.

Background

Port Qasim and Karachi Port, the busiest port of country, together handle more than 90% of all external trade of Pakistan.

The port encompasses a total area of 12,000 acres (49 km2) wherein many industrial zones operate. In addition to the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and KESC Bin Qasim Power Plant, around 80% of the Pakistan's automotive industry is located at Port Qasim. The port also provides direct waterfront access to two major nearby industrial areas, Export Processing Zone (Landhi) and Korangi Industrial Area. Approximately 60% of country's export and import is originated from these areas. Port Qasim is managed by Port Qasim Authority, a semi-autonomous government body.

The Iron Ore and Coal berth at the port was commissioned in 1980. It has a specialized berth for handling Iron Ore, Coal & Manganese for Pakistan Steel Mills. The design capacity of the berth stands at 3.36 million tonnes per annum.[2]

Proposed coal terminal

According to a June 2014 article in Business Recorder, Asiapak Investments (J Energy Pvt Ltd Pakistan) and Dongfang Electric Corporation signed a Memorandum of Agreement to build a 1320-megawatt (MW) coal plant comprising six 220 MW units at Bin Qasim, Karachi. The project is aimed at commercial operation in the first quarter of 2018. Asiapak is also partnering with international companies to establish coal import and handling infrastructure at Port Qasim with 10 million tonnes per annum throughput capacity.[3]

In October 2016 the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed 4.5-kilometres-long coal conveyor system and coal yard at the Port of Qasim. Villagers and the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry, representing over 70 business owners, objected to the likely pollution from the project and doubted the availability of water for the plant.[4]

It is unclear if the proposal is separate from the Pakistan International Bulk Terminal, a coal terminal at Port Qasim sponsored by Marine Group of Companies and planned for operation in 2016.